When you’re planning the next construction project, you have
plenty of options for building materials. Decisions must be made on everything
from the frame to the roof, and finding the right material based on properties,
cost, and benefits is critical. One item growing in popularity for construction
is the use of steel products in place of wood for frames, roofing, and more. Here
are some of the biggest reasons why you should take a look at steel.
Strength
Steel is one of the strongest materials available, and also
one of the most economical. It is often used in construction of huge
skyscrapers, transportation projects (such as roads and bridges) and other
large projects because of its strength and durability, but it can be used in
smaller-scale projects like roofing or home construction as well. It is a
product that will not split, rot, or warp over time, so the walls, floors, and
frames you build remain straight and strong for decades to come.
Because steel can withstand such high loads, it is also one
of the best materials to go up against nature’s strongest disasters, including
high winds, hurricane, and even earthquakes.
Safety
We always want to think about safety first, and when it
comes to steel building products from Wasatch Steel, you get some of the safest
material available for your construction project. According to the National
Fire Protection Agency, fire departments respond to almost 1.4 million fires
each year, resulting in more than $11.6 billion in direct property loss. Steel
frames are stronger and more fire-resistant than wood, they won’t add fuel to
an existing fire, and they are also less likely to collapse in the event of a
fire, making your home safer. Some states with high fire danger have already
begun requiring residential and commercial construction with steel, and
sometimes having a steel frame can even lower your monthly insurance premiums.
Cost-Effective
One of the reasons steel is so cost-effective is its
recyclability. In fact, 100 percent of all steel is recyclable, and much of the
steel in the U.S. today is recycled in one form or another. In addition, the
process of making and recycling steel yields only a small amount of scrap
(about 2 percent, compared to 20 percent for wood), so there is less to discard
and haul away. These lower costs often translate into lower overall costs for
building materials.
Since steel weighs much less than wood, the costs to
transport and handle it are much lower, plus maintenance costs are
significantly reduced because of its resistance to rotting, warping, bug infestation,
and other things that can quickly ruin wood.
Environmentally
Friendly
As mentioned, steel is a very efficient and environmentally
friendly product. Since steel can be recycled indefinitely without affecting
the quality and makeup of the product, it has one of the highest recycle rates
of any material in the U.S.—as much as 66 percent of all steel is recycled. If
you use steel in place of wood, you are also getting the earth-friendly benefit
of saving trees.
Wood requires pressure treatment, which can result in
harmful chemical that could contaminate soil, plus pesticides and toxins that
protect the wood from bug infestations, vermin, termites, and other attacks. No
chemical treatments for steel also means no off-gassing from resins or other
chemicals.
Whatever kind of project you might be working on, from home
construction to commercial, steel has tremendous advantages over wood. No
matter what size project you have, visit Wasatch Steel for all your steel
building products.
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